STARKVILLE — It was May 2 and basketball conversations don’t usually last long — if they even start at all — for another handful of months around here, but that didn’t stop Ben Howland from scheduling a press conference.

“I wanted to call this to express my excitement for the fact that we’re having everybody return that put their name in the draft and was going to test the waters,” Howland said Wednesday. “It’s a really exciting time.”

It’s true: Quinndary Weatherspoon, Lamar Peters, Nick Weatherspoon and Aric Holman will all return for next season after flirting with entering the NBA Draft. None of them were on mock drafts for this year and did not hire agents in order to preserve their eligibility, but that doesn’t mean that would’ve stayed that way and surprising moves have happened. They will all likely be solid prospects in the 2019 draft, which, at least right now, doesn’t project to be as good as this one.

With a talented roster officially in place, the expectation is for Mississippi State to at least make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009 — and a lackluster non-conference schedule won’t hurt its chances this time.

Was Mississippi State good enough to make it to the tournament last season? Talent-wise, maybe. But the Bulldogs lived on the bubble until they lost to Tennessee in the SEC Tournament because they were 1-7 against Group 1 opponents and had the No. 188 non-conference schedule. They didn’t beat enough good teams and they didn’t play enough good teams, either.

The latter part will be fixed this season.

The Bulldogs expect to play a team that advanced to the Sweet 16 and an official announcement may come next week, Howland said. Mississippi State won’t play in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, but that doesn’t mean it won’t play a team from the Big 12. Sources said Mississippi State could play Kansas State, but Howland would not say which Sweet 16 team he was referring to.

The Bulldogs will play Wright State on Dec. 22 in Jackson. This game replaces what was to be the third of four December meetings between Mississippi State and Southern Miss. Mississippi State will no longer play Southern Miss; Southern Miss requested to discontinue the series, sources said.

Mississippi State expects to play in a Las Vegas tournament against Arizona State and either North Carolina State or Utah State, and expects to play against Long Beach State, as The Clarion Ledger reported in January. The non-conference schedule also includes Cincinnati, BYU and at Dayton.

There are still a couple of games left to be scheduled. Will those be against Power 5 opponents?

“It remains to be seen,” Howland said. “But our schedule is already going to be highly ranked. We are scheduling good people … We will have a couple of top-20 opponents.”

The Bulldogs needed this. They are in several way-too-early top-25 rankings, and for good reason. In addition to the nucleus of Peters, the Weatherspoon brothers and Holman, Mississippi State returns Tyson Carter and Abdul Ado. It also adds four signees, including McDonald’s All-American Reggie Perry. After Xavian Stapleton and Eli Wright left the program, Mississippi State has one scholarship left.

What the Bulldogs choose to do with that scholarship is unclear right now, but there's no glaring weakness — another true point guard may help — and no major reason why Howland shouldn't be excited on May 2.